


Sansa's Big Break

by Missy1978



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: 80s dance party, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arya is team Sansan, F/M, Falling In Love, Hangover, Joffrey Baratheon is His Own Warning, Making a film is hard work, Mutual Pining, New York City, Not just a fling, On Set, Sandor the makeup artist, Sansa the actress, Secret Crush, on location
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:34:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29111646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missy1978/pseuds/Missy1978
Summary: All Sansa Stark wants is to be a working actress. Not a star, not a celebrity, just making a living in her field. Could this next role change her life?
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters, Sandor Clegane/Sansa Stark
Comments: 45
Kudos: 117





	1. Chapter 1

Sansa Stark was nervous; excited but nervous. If she got this part, it would be her first speaking role in a film. For once she might have a credit with an actual name; instead of ‘pretty party girl’ which was her only film credit to date. 

She’d managed to get the audition through Arya, who’s career in the special make-up effects industry was well established. Arya had been hired by the production company early on, and when she saw there was a role that was perfect for Sansa, she encouraged her sister to submit a headshot. The audition process had been grueling; Sansa had shown up the first day to find 100 young women, who all looked like her, sitting in the waiting room reviewing their scripts. 

She’d initially read for a casting director in a dingy building in midtown Manhattan. The tall blond woman, Brianne, switched on the video recorder and fed Sansa lines. It seemed to go okay in Sansa’s opinion, at least Brianne had asked her to confirm that all the information on the back of her headshot was correct before ushering her out of the room. It would be another week before she heard back. Her second readthrough was in the same room, but this time, Brianne was joined by several other people. Sansa didn’t want to get her hopes up, she’d had callbacks before and nothing had ever happened. 

Sansa gazed at the group seated in front of her, wondering what it was that they were looking for in this role. She was desperate to get the part. It would be so nice to actually make a living as an actress, not just a waitress who sometimes acts. She didn’t need to be a celebrity, or even famous, all she wanted was to be able to support herself in the field that she loved. Sansa snapped back to attention when Brianne addressed her. 

“So Sansa, tell us a little bit about yourself” 

This was a common occurrence at auditions Sansa had been through, she supposed it was either to put her at ease, or to see how she responded to things without a script in front of her. Sansa grinned “well, I’m the third of six kids, and I grew up in the north. I studied at The Actors Studio, and I still take the occasional class there, when I can fit it in between waitressing gigs” she deadpanned. “I’ve read the book that this will be based on and can’t wait to see what the dragons look like.” 

Brianne laughed “I think we’re all anxious to see how the special effects crew pulls that off. So, if you wouldn’t mind, I’m going to have you read with one of the actors up for the role that would be your love interest if you got the part, okay?” 

“sure” 

A tall, handsome, blond man was brought into the room, Brianne looked up “Oh hey Jamie, c’mon in. Sansa, this is Jamie Lannister. Jamie, Sansa” they nodded at each other then turned their attention back to Brianne “okay guys, page 32 halfway down, right after the dragon flies away. Sansa, start right after that” 

Sansa took a deep breath and launched into her lines. 

**1 hour later**

Sansa left the conference room after reading several scenes for the group and then for a camera set up in the room. Sansa thought she’d done well, but she’d thought she’d done well at other auditions too, and it never amounted to anything. She and Jamie seemed to have good chemistry, but who knew. As she was pulling on her coat and stuffing a hat on her head, Brianne burst out of the room 

“Sansa, thank the gods I caught you, you too Jamie; can you come back inside?” 

Sansa and Jamie looked at each other, shrugged and followed Brianne back into the conference room. They discovered that there were several more people in there than when they had exited, including the director. Brianne grinned at them “Sansa, Jamie this is your new director; Gendry Waters. Congratulations you both got the parts.” 

Gendry Waters was the hot new director in the industry. With several independent films under his belt, this was going to be his mainstream film debut. He’d surrounded himself with his long-time team and the ‘word on the street’ was that THIS would be the film to see once it was completed. Based on a best-selling fantasy novel; the film would have everything: dazzling special effects, fabulous costumes, a compelling story, great characters, drama, comedy, a love story; and best of all, the possibility of sequels: everything!

Sansa couldn’t believe it, she’d done it! She’d been cast. Sansa and Jamie grinned like fools at each other, then at the people in the room. As she perused the other occupants of the room, Sansa was surprised to see that her sister, Arya, was there too. Arya winked at her and mouthed ‘congrats’ and Sansa grinned more broadly. She didn’t know what all the people in the room did, except Arya of course; but she was sure she’d find out soon enough. 

Gendry cleared his throat and smiled "Sansa, Jamie, welcome. We're all very excited to have you join us. My team" he gestured to the others in the room with them "were all very impressed with your audition and your chemistry, we think you will both will bring a lot to your roles. Over the next few weeks you will be meeting with different people in this room to get ready for principal filming. We want to nail everything down before we leave for location, so be prepared for a whirlwind of activity." He concluded with a small laugh.

The group broke out in applause, and Sansa and Jamie both blushed and grinned at each other, then at their new 'team.'

Suddenly, Sansa noticed in the back of the room the largest man she’d ever seen in her life. Tall, broad, long dark hair brushed to the side; trying, but not succeeding, to cover what looked to be the most painful burn scars she’d ever seen in her life. When Sansa made eye contact with the man he scowled then looked away, embarrassed; then peeked at her from under his eyelashes when he thought she wasn't looking. Everything else faded to the background: the scars, the hair, the scowl, everyone else in the room; all Sansa could see were the most beautiful, angry, sad, grey eyes drawing her in; looking right into her soul, and making a home there. Sansa didn’t know who he was or what he did; all she knew was that she wanted to meet him and get to know him, and maybe take away some of his pain.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya takes Sansa out to celebrate her new role, and Sansa "meets" Sandor Clegane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it will be obvious as this story goes on that I'm not in the entertainment industry. I'll get lots of details and procedures wrong, but since this is a work of fiction, I'm not going to feel bad about that.

**Later that night**

Drunk, Sansa and Arya stumbled into their shared apartment. Arya had decided they needed to celebrate Sansa’s new job, and had dragged her out for a drink, which had turned into several drinks. Sansa wasn’t really a drinker, so Arya plied her with fruity concoctions with lethal amounts of rum, and by the end of the evening Sansa was feeling no pain. 

“I can’t believe I got the part, and we’re going on location together! It’ll be like when we went to summer camp!” 

Arya laughed “It won’t be anything like summer camp, this is going to be hard work, long hours, and primitive working conditions; so, I hope you’re ready for that” 

Sansa cocked her head as Arya spoke “well” she countered “we will be away together, so it’ll sort of be like camp. Just with no basket weaving classes” 

Arya snorted “okay, you’re right” Arya dumped Sansa on the couch and went to go get her some water. Sansa had an appointment with the wardrobe department tomorrow, and it wouldn’t help if she threw up all over them. Arya wandered back into the living room and handed Sansa the glass of water and two aspirins “drink that entire glass before you go to bed, okay?” 

Sansa grinned drunkenly at her “yea, I promise. Hey Arya, who was the enormous guy in the back of the room with the scar on his face?” 

Arya looked at her curiously “That’s Sandor Clegane. He works in special make-up effects too. He’s my boss on this project. Why do you ask?’ 

“Did you ever notice how beautiful his eyes were?” 

“what?” 

“Yea, he has the most beautiful, sad grey eyes” Sansa said breathlessly “Is he married, or dating, or gay or anything?” 

Arya stared at her for a moment, stunned “As far as I know, he’s straight. Not married or dating; you did see that scar, right? It covers half his face. He’s also mean as a hound.” 

Sansa giggled “Oh I don’t know about that; hounds aren’t mean, they’re loyal and warm and snuggly; and they have sad eyes, like Sandor.” 

Arya regarded Sansa “Sans you are drunk as a skunk, and you don’t know what you’re talking about. Let’s get you to bed, you have an appointment with wardrobe at 10am, and should probably look and feel at least a little human for it. 

Sansa smiled “hey Arya” 

“Yea?” 

“I got the part” 

“yea ya did” 

“guess what else?” 

“what?” 

“we’re going to camp!” 

Arya sighed “Sans, you’re nuts, now go to bed” 

“Hey Arya” 

“yea?” 

“thanks for looking out for me, and not just for tonight; you’re the best” 

Arya smiled “the lone wolf dies, Sans” 

“but the pack survives” Sansa struggled to her feet, planted a kiss on Arya’s forehead and made her way to her bedroom. Right before she closed the door she whispered back to Arya “I don’t care what you think Arya, but I’m going to get to know Sandor Clegane, break down those walls he seems to have, and maybe make his eyes a little less sad” 

Arya stared after her “what the fuck?” 

**The following morning**

Sansa sat at the dining room table, head in hand, with a big cup of coffee in front of her, looking miserable. Arya strolled into the kitchen, took one look at her, and burst out laughing. 

“Arya, it’s not funny, I’m dying, why did you let me drink so much?” 

“Sans, you had like 2 ½ drinks. Face it, you’re a lightweight! If you’re going to go on location, you’re going to need to learn how to hold your liquor! Sometimes there’s nothing else to do during the down hours besides drink” 

“Ugh, if I survive today, I’ll work on that; but right now, I need to get my shit together, I have an appointment uptown in an hour” 

“well put some powder on your face, you look a little green; and put some sunglasses on, the whites of your eyes are red!” 

“do you have any idea who my fitting is with today?” 

“probably Ygritte, you’ll like her, she’s a redhead too!” 

“as long as she’s quiet” 

“oh, I wouldn’t count on that” 

“ugh, I changed my mind, I’m never drinking again, I don’t care what you say about being on location” 

Arya laughed “anyway, maybe you should run a comb through your hair before you go, you never know who you’ll see at the appointment” 

“what do you mean?” 

“well I know for a fact that the special make-up effects department is doing their tests in the same building where they’re doing costume fittings. We have a consultation with Jamie today at 11” 

“we?” 

“yea, me and Sandor” 

“Sandor, Sandor Clegane?” Sansa asked fearfully 

“yea, you know, the guy with the sad grey eyes that you want to get to know” 

“are you kidding me?” 

“nope” Arya responded popping the p. 

Shit, shit, shit, I look like crap, why didn’t you tell me? Can I take a shower and still make it in time? Ugh, I’m going to have to. Get out of my way Arya, I have some major repairs to make before I leave the house” 

“major repairs? You did see his face yesterday, didn’t you?” 

“Arya, shut up, be nice. Besides, look at me, I look half dead; major repairs would only make me look among the living again, nothing more” 

“whatever, should I wait for you?” 

“If you have time, that would be great, that way I won’t get lost” 

“well stop talking and get in the shower” 

An hour later Sansa and Arya entered a brownstone on the upper east side. Sansa watched curiously as Arya punched in the security code and pushed through the front door. It had been a mad dash to get there, Sansa had never gotten ready so quickly in her life. In typical New York City fashion, she’d even done her makeup while riding on the subway. Sansa was feeling a little bit better; the coffee, hot shower and aspirin seemed to be doing their job, so far. Hopefully the fitting would be quick, and she could go back to the apartment and take a nap before her shift tonight at the diner. 

“What is this place?” Sansa asked looking around 

“Gendry owns it, he lives here and also uses it as headquarters when he’s in pre-production” 

“how come you know the security code? Does everyone know it that works for him? That seems a little dangerous” 

“well not everyone, did I mention that I’ve known Gendry for a while?’ 

“nooooo” 

“yeah, we went to film school together” 

“is that all?” Sansa asked curiously 

“well, actually, we’re kind of seeing each other, it’s brand new, less than a month, that's why I haven't told you about him yet. Don’t say anything to anyone, it’s on the down low. I don’t want people to think I got the job cause I’m fucking the boss” 

“why would people think that? You’re really good at what you do” Sansa replied earnestly 

“thanks, but you know how the industry can be” Arya quipped 

Sansa cocked her head, considering something “I didn’t get the job because of you, did I?” 

“Nah, you did it on your own, all I did was convince you to send in your headshot. You did the rest” with that, Arya made a beeline for the staircase, calling over her shoulder “I’ll be on the fifth floor if you want to stop by when you’re done” 

Sansa smiled, then grimaced, fuck, the aspirin seemed to be wearing off already.  _ Great _ . Hopefully she could get through the fitting without too much drama. She checked the sheet she’d been given yesterday to see where in the building she needed to report. Second floor; Sansa followed Arya up the stairs, but at a more leisurely pace; no need to run and jostle her head. Just as she reached the landing, Sansa heard someone barreling up the stairs behind her, she turned and caught her foot on the carpet, almost pitching down the stairs; only to be caught by a pair of strong arms wrapping around her waist and keeping her upright.

“ooph” Sansa grunted 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you, you won’t fall” 

Sansa looked up into a pair of the most beautiful grey eyes; Sandor Clegane, she couldn’t believe it. Righting herself, Sansa stepped out of his arms, blushing and trying to straighten her clothing. “I’m okay, thanks” 

Sandor released her immediately and tried to step around her to continue up the stairs. “I’m Sansa, Sansa Stark. You’re Sandor Clegane, right?” 

Sandor stopped and swung around to look at her, how did she know his name? He narrowed his eyes; she must have asked someone who the big, ugly, scarred man was yesterday. Sansa noticed his eyes narrow and harden, she wondered what she had said to piss him off. “I think you work with my sister, Arya?” Hopefully that would help. Oh, that was it, he thought, she was related to the mouthy pip-squeak Gendry was seeing. 

“yea, Sandor. Nice to meet you, but I gotta go; who knows what your sister will do to the room set up if I’m not there” 

“I can understand your concern, I share an apartment with her.” Sansa replied with a giggle. 

Sandor furrowed his brow, what was up with her? Wasn’t she horrified with his scars? Why wasn’t she averting her eyes like most women (and men) did? He didn’t get it. “well, see you around” 

Sansa smiled sweetly “I sure hope so” and walked down the hall to the wardrobe department, carefully making sure to sway her hips to their full advantage. 

Sandor watched her walk away “what the fuck?” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sansa meets Ygritte and Pod, and makes plans with Sandor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Normal people would not make a film this way; but, who knows, maybe they should.

Sansa could hear loud music inside the wardrobe department; great, just what her rapidly returning hangover needed. She tapped on the door, no answer, then knocked a little louder and the door swung open to reveal a carrot-topped woman, dressed all in black; this had to be Ygritte. 

“hi, I’m Sansa, I’m supposed to be here for a fitting” 

“C’mon in Red, I’m Ygritte, wait let me turn down the music, I was just having a dance party with Pod” she cocked her head to indicate a tall, dark headed, pink cheeked young man about Sansa’s age standing in the corner, he smiled politely and possibly blushed even harder “Sansa Stark?” Sansa nodded. “Oi, you are going to have some great costumes, I’m a little jealous” 

Sansa offered a small smile “what would you like me to do?” 

“I need to get some measurements; Pod, get out of here, give Sansa some privacy” Pod quickly exited the room “go in there and strip down to your skivvies. This shouldn’t take too long, I also have some stuff I want you to try on, to see if we can alter it to fit. It’s from another production, but same genre” 

Sansa quickly moved into the cubicle, thanking the gods that she had taken the time to shower before she got there. That would have been embarrassing, smelling like a brewery while Ygritte moved around her with a measuring tape. 

“bra and panties okay?” 

“perfect, let’s see what I have to work with” Ygritte looked Sansa over critically, then smiled “you’ll be easy to dress. We’re about the same size, although you’re about a foot taller than me. I’ve been making my own clothes for years, so I have tons of patterns in _our_ size” she concluded with a grin. “you’re awfully quiet, are you shy or am I too loud?” 

“Honestly, I’m hung over as shit. My sister took me out last night to celebrate getting the part, and I’m afraid I indulged too much” 

Ygritte threw back her head and laughed “okay, I’ll try and make this as painless as possible, we gingers have to stick together” 

Sansa grinned. “thanks. Will you be going on location too? I may need some ginger reinforcement out in the wild” 

“I am; Pod too. He’s my intern, he’s just learning the trade. His Uncle Tyrion is one of Gendry's investors and is trying to break him into the business” 

“I’ve never been on a location shoot before; I’m excited and nervous. I've actually never had a part before where I had an actual name credit, usually I'm just someone in the crowd. My sister says that I have to learn to hold my liquor better because sometimes drinking is all there is to do during the downtime when you're on location.” 

“well she’s not wrong. Is your sister on this production?” 

“She is, she works in special make-up effects. Arya; do you know her?” 

“oh, the tiny dark-haired one that's fucking Gendry” Sansa frowned at that statement, Ygritte noticed the change in Sansa’s demeanor and continued “I don’t mean that in a bad way, she’s really good at her job, but if they think they’re keeping it under wraps, they’re nuts. There are no secrets during a film production. I see her around here all the time; she’s working for my buddy Sandor. He has good things to say about her, he really likes her work” 

Hearing Sandor’s name, jolted Sansa and reminded her of their encounter. “Oh, I met him earlier on the staircase, he saved me from doing a header when I caught my foot on the carpet, I'm so clumsy. He’s very strong” 

Ygritte looked up at Sansa and narrowed her eyes “yea he is. He’s a sweetheart too, if you can get past that tough exterior; as you can imagine he’s got a pretty hard shell. He’s really good at his job. He’s won a ton of awards. I’m sure you’ll get to know him better on location, since your character is supposed to get charred on the face by the dragon. You’ll end up spending a lot of time in his chair” 

“hmmm” Sansa hummed non-committedly “I did notice he has pretty grey eyes” 

Ygritte’s eyes widened slightly “He does? I can’t say as I ever noticed” 

“They’re like the color of a thick fog, or wet cement; they’re really quite striking. I don't know that I've ever seen eyes that color before” Sansa chirped, warming to the subject, then realizing that she was revealing these things to a person she barely knew, and was friends with Sandor to boot, she concluded with a more subdued “you should look sometime” 

“I’ll have to do that” Ygritte, noticing Sansa’s embarrassment quickly got back to work writing down measurements and muttering to herself. She eventually walked away from Sansa to pull a beautiful sky blue medieval-looking gown off the clothes rack and thrust it in Sansa’s hands “try this on, the color is perfect for you” she spun Sansa around and pushed her back into the cubicle. Ygritte grinned at the interesting turn the conversation had taken. 

A few minutes later Sansa exited the cubicle, clutching the too short, way too revealing dress to her body. “I’m not sure this will work. I think it would need too many alterations” 

“damn, you’re right; but the color is perfect for you. I’m going to have to insist to Gendry that we make you a costume in this fabric. Maybe I’ll get some extra and make myself something too.” Ygritte commented with a grin “after all we gingers need to stick together” 

*****

Sansa scurried up the stairs a couple of hours later. Ygritte had made her try on more dresses, before declaring them done for the day. Sansa had tried on an emerald green gown that she loved, and a blush pink that she loathed; after pinning some of the seams, Ygritte declared that the green one had possibilities but the pink one was only good for the trash. Grinning, Sansa agreed. 

Feeling a little more human, Sansa decided to take the opportunity to take Arya up on her offer to stop by before she left; it had nothing to do with the idea of seeing Sandor again, she told herself. Arriving on the fifth floor, Sansa wondered where the make-up department was located, and wandered down the hallway hoping she could find it without getting lost. She’d just finished listening for voices at the third door on the hallway when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. Sansa whirled around to see her new director, Gendry Waters, standing there grinning at her. She flushed in embarrassment. 

“Hi Gendry, I’m just looking for Arya, she told me to stop by after my fitting was done. But she didn’t tell me which room she’d be in” 

Gendry smiled broadly “I would’ve thought it was obvious from the loud music, but maybe you don’t know Sandor’s taste yet, spend enough time in his chair and you’ll learn. They’re down the hall, c’mon I was on my way there” 

Sansa fell in step beside him “Arya tells me that you own this building, it must be great to be able to keep everything so close together” 

“yea it is; but to tell you the truth, it can be very chaotic when we’re getting ready for location shoots. Everyone is in and out of here trying to get everything locked down, there is always someone working in one of the rooms, no matter what time; day or night.” 

They arrived in front of a closed door, behind it, loud music playing, and even louder cursing, followed by laughter. Gendry turned to Sansa “we’re here” They entered the room to discover Sandor and Arya standing on either side of the make-up chair scowling at each other. Jamie, his face covered in latex, laughing uproariously. 

“Don’t laugh, you’ll tear the latex and we’ll have to start again” Sandor sniped 

“Then you two need to stop being so funny” Jamie replied. 

“Hey guys what’s all the ruckus?” Gendry quipped 

Three heads swung around to look at the newcomers to the room. 

“Sansa, are you all done?” Arya asked bounding over to her “Hey Gendry” she smirked 

“for now, I just wanted to stop by before I left. I want to try and sneak in a nap before my shift tonight” 

Gendry, Sandor and Jamie all looked at her curiously and Jamie asked, “you haven’t quit your day job yet?” 

Sansa smiled “well I just got the part yesterday and haven’t had the chance to give them notice yet. Besides, I don’t want to leave them on bad terms in case I need to work there again someday.” 

Sandor nodded his head in agreement, then turned to Jamie “not everyone has a trust fund they can live on between gigs, some of us have to work for a living” then turning to Sansa “I’m glad you’re here, maybe we can set up a time for you to come in and start figuring out your prosthetics” 

“uhm, sure” Sansa dug in her bag and pulled out her phone “let me pull up my schedule” scrolling through it “I’m working tonight, tomorrow night and Friday afternoon; but I’m available after that. I could come by Friday night after work. Would that work?” Sansa looked up at Sandor, only to discover him looking at her with a slightly confused look on his face. 

“Sure, that would work, but are you sure you want to do this Friday night? Don’t you have plans or something?” 

“If you mean by plans, you mean watching the Great British Bake-Off on Netflix, then yea I do, but I think I can wait and watch that Saturday night instead. Should I meet you here? Say 7:00?” 

Sandor chuckled “sure, 7:00 works for me” 

Sansa beamed up at him “great, it’s a date” looking at her watch, realizing how late it had gotten, Sansa groaned “oops, no time for a nap now, my shift starts in 30 minutes, I have to go.” And she turned, left the room and hurried down the hallway. 

Jamie glanced at the other three occupants in the room, Gendry and Arya looked as though they were trying not to smirk while Sandor looked completely stunned. "Did she say date?" Sandor asked them worriedly. "That's just a figure of speech, right?"

Arya, with a knowing smile, replied "I guess you'll find out on Friday what she meant"  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sansan have a date, otherwise known as makeup tests.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sansa gets to spend time with Sandor.

**Friday Night**

Sansa stood outside the brownstone, smoothing down her hair and taking deep breaths to try and slow down her heartbeat. In her hand she had a wicker picnic basket filled with food she’d brought from the diner . She hoped Sandor was hungry and didn’t think she was too presumptuous bringing him dinner. She had quizzed Arya to find out what type of food he liked; chicken, all types of chicken. Sansa had managed to sweet talk the short order cook into making his ‘special’ fried chicken along with several sides and two big slices of lemon cake (her favorite) for dessert. 

One last tug of her hair, and Sansa rang the bell for the fifth floor. Sandor’s raspy voice blared through the intercom greeting her before buzzing her into the building. Surprisingly, Sandor met her at the third floor landing, eyeing her as they continued upstairs side by side. 

“what’s in the basket?” 

“I thought I’d bring us some dinner, since you probably haven’t had any yet” 

“smells good, did you make it?’ 

“hardly. I bribed Manny, the cook where I work, to make fried chicken. Arya said it’s your favorite” 

“she’s right, it is my favorite” Looking at her suspiciously “Is this some ploy?” 

“what do you mean?” Sansa looked at Sandor curiously 

“I dunno, so your make-up doesn’t look too gruesome? Or take too long, so you don’t have to sit in the chair for hours, or so your friends can still recognize you?” 

“People do that?” 

“You’d be surprised what lengths some performers will go to; to get special treatment” 

“Hmm interesting; unfortunately, I’m not that clever, or devious, or concerned about how I’ll look. I just thought you’d be hungry, I know I am” 

Sandor chuckled. “good call, I’m starving. Why don’t you go down to studio, I’ll see if I can find some drinks, so make yourself as home” 

By the time Sandor made it back to the studio, Sansa had cleared a place on the table, spread a tablecloth, set up two place settings and was unpacking the food. “Uh, all I could find was bottled water, is that okay?” 

“Uhm, I should have told you, I also brought some lemonade and a couple of cans of stout, Arya says you like a nice dark beer. Me too!” 

Sandor tilted his head and observed Sansa, then offered her a small smile “where have you been all my life? Chicken? Stout? I’m in heaven” 

Sansa giggled “well, make sure you like it first before you declare your undying devotion to me” 

Sandor tilted back his head and roared “good point, but since you’re the first person to ever bring me a meal, I am going to have to measure all the other actors on his production against you. They’re going to have a lot to live up to, you set the bar high. As I said chicken, beer; it doesn’t get much better than that” 

Sansa flushed and mumbled that they should get started before the chicken got cold. Sandor enthusiastically dug in groaning in appreciation at his first bite of chicken. “this is the best chicken I’ve ever had, where do you work? I may have to stalk you, or I guess, maybe Manny to get this on a regular basis.” Sansa happily nibbled on a drumstick, pleased to see that she’d made the right decision to bring food. Sandor quickly demolished several pieces of chicken and most of the side salads, finally noticing that Sansa was still eating her first piece of chicken. “What’s the matter Sansa, aren’t you hungry? You’re eating like a little bird. If you’re not careful, I’ll eat it all!” 

Sansa shrugged “I’m saving room for dessert, it’s lemon cake, my favorite” 

“well, how about I trade a piece of chicken for my slice of cake, I’m not big for sweets.” 

“Deal, but you should try it anyway, this cake may change your mind” Sansa opened the container and lifted a forkful of cake to Sandor’s mouth. His eyes widened at the gesture but opened his mouth obediently and closed it as she pulled the fork back out. Sansa watched him chew the bite, then suddenly, realizing the intimacy of her actions, Sansa blushed bright red. 

Sandor cleared his throat, not knowing whether to burst into tears at the tenderness she was showing him be completely turned on by her deed. He decided caution was the way to go “hmm, it’s okay, but I prefer the chicken, so hand over that last thigh Little Bird” 

Sansa laughed “fine, more cake for me” secretly grateful that Sandor hadn’t commented and made the whole situation weirder. Scolding herself, Sansa determined to not overstep again where he was concerned. She didn’t want Sandor to think she was only after one thing, or worse yet, using him. She wanted to get to know him better. 

They quietly finished up their meals, each in their own thoughts about the other. Once there was not another morsel of food left, Sansa began gathering up the dirty dishes and utensils and putting them back in her picnic basket, while Sandor started throwing away the napkins and empty food containers. Sansa excused herself to use the bathroom down the hall. Standing washing her hands, she looked at herself in the mirror, making sure there wasn’t anything on her face, or worse yet between her teeth. If she was going to sit in a makeup chair for the next couple of hours, she wanted to look her best. Satisfied, she headed back to the studio. 

Sandor looked up from where he was mixing a white powder with water and smiled “I thought I’d make a mask of your face so I can try out a bunch of stuff and figure out what would work best. Okay with you?” Sansa nodded “okay, we’ll need to put your hair up and cover it in a cap, and I need you to put this smock over your top. I’m good at this, but it can be messy” 

***** 

20 minutes later, Sansa reclined in the chair unmoving as Sandor glopped the cold plaster onto her face. He’d first covered her face with Vaseline, then handed her two straws for her nose. Sansa mentally sighed, this was no way to get to know Sandor; she couldn’t talk, she couldn’t move, she couldn’t even see him! 

Suddenly, Sandor began mummering encouragement to Sansa, in his sexy, raspy voice. “you’re doing really well, just relax your face and let the plaster do its work. This will be the hardest part. Once this is done, I can make mold so I can see what would work best on you, then I can practice on it so that when we’re on location I will be able to minimize the amount of time you need to sit in the chair.” Sansa thought to herself that she didn’t want to spend less time in the chair she wanted to spend more time there. But she couldn’t tell him that or she’d get a mouthful of plaster. As the plaster hardened and warmed up, Sandor kept up the conversation. 

“You're doing so good, just a couple more minutes. Damn, I wish we had more chicken, I can still smell it, and it's making me hungry again. Maybe you can show me where the diner is? No, don’t nod your head. Good, I may have a new favorite diner, especially if you work there.” Sansa heard a ding, obviously a timer. “that should be about it, I’m going to start to take this off, try not to move at all, okay? No don’t nod” 

Sansa felt the dry plaster pull away from her face and looked up to see Sandor smiling down at her. “you did great, this should save us a ton of time” 

“I don’t actually mind coming here to work with you” Sansa started, then realized she was doing it again. Too pushy, overstepping. She bit her lip and stopped talking. 

Sandor’s eyes widened “We’ll still work together, a lot; but this will give me a chance to figure out what’s best for you, and not waste your time. Now go wash the vaseline off your face. I think we’re done for the night. Jesus Is that the time? Fuck it’s 11:30, when did it get so late?” 

Sansa scooted out of the chair and scurried down the hallway to the bathroom to scrape and wash the residue off her face. Internally cursing herself, it was as if she’d never spoken to a man before. How was it that Sandor brought out this needy, pushy, pathetic side of her? He was never going to be interested in her if she continued to act like a teenager. Looking at herself in the mirror, Sansa mentally gave herself a pep talk and reminded herself to act cool. 

Sandor looked up when Sansa reentered the room “how did you get here? Subway? Uber?” 

“Subway” 

“Okay we can take it back downtown together” 

“you don’t have to go out of your way, I ride it at night by myself all the time” 

“Sansa, it’s no big deal, I’m going that way anyway. I would feel more comfortable if we rode together, okay?” Sansa nodded and gathered up the picnic basket and her bag. After exiting the brownstone, they walked to the subway entrance and were fortunate that one arrived shortly after they got to the platform. “what stop?” Sandor asked. 

“Spring Street” 

“that’s convenient, that's where I'm going” 

They spoke of inconsequential things the entire ride. Each internally marveling at how easy it was for them to talk to each other. No friction, no awkwardness. Arriving at the stop Sansa tried to bid Sandor goodnight, only to be informed that he would be walking her to her door. 

“It’s really not necessary. You’ve had a long day; you’re probably exhausted and just want to get home and fall into bed” 

“Sansa, it’s no problem, besides weren’t you on your feet all day too?” 

“uhm, yea” she admitted. 

Arriving at her building, Sansa turned and looked at Sandor “this is me. Thank you for seeing me home, it was really unnecessary, but I appreciate it” disregarding all her earlier advice to herself to play it cool, she rolled up on her toes and kissed a startled Sandor on the cheek. Sansa unlocked the building's front door and turned to Sandor “see you soon?” Sandor nodded “by the way, how far do you live from here?’ 

Sandor flushed “well I might have exaggerated when I said this was my stop” 

“what do you mean?” 

“uhm, I live at the brownstone with Gendry. I just didn’t want you to ride the subway by yourself” shaking his head, smiling and waving, Sandor turned and headed back to the subway. 

As soon as Sansa closed her front door, she broke into a wide grin and squealed happily. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Off to location


	5. Chapter 5

The next several weeks flew by for Sansa: hair and make-up tests, wardrobe fittings, read throughs, rehearsals all chipped away hours of her time. She gave notice at the diner, promising that, if they got in a bind and she could help them, she would. Sansa knew that she would not have been able to survive in New York City to this point, without the waitressing gig. She also knew that probably at some point, she’d need that gig back again; so, it would be better to leave on good terms. 

Sansa was disappointed that she didn’t get to spend any time with Sandor. She saw him from time to time in the brownstone, but there were always other people around. Even when he was attaching prosthetics to her face, there was a room full of other special effects make-up artists, including Arya. There was no opportunity for them to talk. She had hoped to get to know Sandor better before they went on location and things got really crazy, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen. 

The night before they were due to leave for location, Sansa and Arya were busily packing their suitcases. Arya had been on location before, so was packing the minimum she would need, but Sansa was in a quandary. How much should she pack? Were there laundry facilities? Should she pack nice stuff in case they went out somewhere? Finally, she wandered into Arya’s bedroom to get some answers. 

Sansa stood in the doorway to Arya’s room, watching her throw things into a duffle bag “Is that all you’re taking?” 

Arya looked up “yea. It’s not as if we’re going into space, they have stores there. This is just to get me started” 

“Aren’t you worried that you’ll forget something important?” 

“like what?” 

“I don’t know; appropriate shoes, tampons, a dress, birth control?” 

Arya barked out a loud laugh “Sans, I know this is your first big movie shoot, but it’s much more casual than you think. Believe me, you’ll end up wearing the same outfit day after day because it’ll be the only thing you’ll want to put on after being sewn into your costumes. Bring whatever you would wear around the apartment, plus one nice outfit, which you probably won’t wear anyway. That’s all you’ll need. I promise. Especially Gendry’s movies, They’re very laid back. K?” 

Sansa frowned “Okay, but I better not look out of place.” 

Arya smirked “oh and Sansa?” 

“yea?” 

“Gendry and I were tested, and we're exclusive, I’m on the shot; but if you’re thinking of having sex while we're on location, you might want to run to the drug store and get some condoms. I’d say extra-large, if you know what I mean” 

Sansa sputtered “I don’t know what you’re talking about” 

Arya’s smirked morphed into a huge grin “I remember what you told me about wanting to make Sandor’s eyes less sad” 

Sansa flushed bright red. “you would think my own sister would have the common decency to not remind me of my drunken ramblings.” 

Arya’s face turned serious “Sansa, I see the way you look at him, plus I see the way he looks at you when he thinks no one notices. There’s obviously something there and being on location will either make it happen or snuff it out. It’s up to you to figure out which one you want. I’ve seen it on other shoots, hell that’s what happened with me and Gendry. Location can be a weird, wonderful, awful place. You just need to realize that location isn’t real life, and if you decide to go for it, it may be easy there, but it probably won’t be when we get back, you'll have to work on it. At least that's the way it was for me and Gendry” 

Sansa regarded her sister fondly, then smirked “I think I need to run to the drug store, you know, to get supplies, better safe than sorry; do you need anything?” 

Arya pressed a hand to her heart then, in a mock scandalized voice yelped “why Sansa Stark, you slut” 

***** 

Sansa arched her back and twisted her neck until she felt a satisfying pop. She was exhausted and sore and hungry; but all she wanted to do was get her key and collapse on her bed. Getting to the filming location had been an all-day ordeal. Subway to airport, plane ride, connecting flight, airport shuttle to hotel. Now standing in line at check-in. She was now 3 time zones away from normal and she just wanted to crawl underneath the quilt and get some sleep. 

Finally, it was her turn. She gave the concierge her name and was issued a key card and directions to her room and assured that her luggage would be brought up to her within the next hour. Riding the elevator to her floor, Sansa was surrounded by other people in the production. Other actors and crew who all seemed to know each other, and all seemed to have much more energy than she did. They excitedly talked about places to go and things to do while they were here. Sansa half-heartedly listened to them and wondered if she’d have the chance to do any of those things too. If she did, she’d have to make some friends here, because she was sure Arya wouldn’t have time or interest in doing them with her. 

Sansa exited the elevator and dragged herself down the hallway to her room, waving her key card in front of the sensor she was dismayed to discover it didn’t work. She tried again, no go. Frustrated she let out a huge sigh “figures” she muttered. 

“Did you say something to me?’ she heard behind her 

Whirling around, Sansa was stunned to see Sandor standing in the doorway right across the hall from her. “uhm, no. Not to you. It looks like my key doesn’t work.” 

“Let me try, sometimes in these older hotels they’re fussy” Sandor waved the key card, then held it in front of the sensor, neither of which worked. He sighed “why don’t you come in and we’ll call down to the front desk to get another one brought up” 

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” 

“Nah, I just got my luggage and I was going to finish unpacking and collapse” 

“yea me too. I’m exhausted, I didn’t know how much effort getting to location takes” 

Sandor laughed “yea, this wasn’t an easy one to get to, I hate it when I have to change planes. Give me a direct flight every time. I prefer to just get on the plane once and when it lands, I’m where I need to be. I hate that every time I get on a plane and walk down the aisle, no one makes eye contact with me because they’re afraid I’m in their row and I’m going to take up all the room. I only want to experience that cold shoulder once a trip” 

Sansa giggled “I can see where that could happen, you do look like a classic armrest hog” 

Sandor grunted “C’mon in, sit down, call the front desk; do you want something from the mini-bar? Water, beer, mixed nuts?” 

“That’s very sweet of you, but no” Sansa followed Sandor into the room, dropping her carry-on bag by the door, perching on the side of the bed and reaching for the phone. Confirming with the front desk that they would send someone up with a new key card, she hung up and looked around the room. Sandor’s suitcase was almost empty, drawers and closet open, collared shirts hanging up, jeans and t-shirts stuffed into drawers. It looked like, unlike Sansa, Sandor knew exactly what to bring on location. 

Sandor held up a smaller bag “I’m just going to put my crap away in the bathroom, make yourself comfortable, I’ll just be a few minutes” 

Sansa smiled and nodded; that was the last thing she remembered until the following morning. 

***** 

Sansa slowly regained consciousness. It was dark in the room, and she was warm; suddenly she realized she wasn’t alone. Behind her, someone was pressed to her back with their arm around her and was softly snoring into her hair. Where was she? What had happened? As she tried to piece together the events of the preceding evening, she started to remember what happened. Her key hadn’t worked, Sandor had invited her in to call to get a new one. Sandor had gone into the bathroom to put his things away…and that was it. She didn’t remember anything after that. Suddenly whoever was behind her started to wake. Their arm around Sansa tightened, and she stiffened at the change in contact. 

“Oh, you’re finally awake” Sandor’s raspy voice came from behind her. He removed his arm and slid away from her “sorry I didn’t mean to spoon you; I must have drifted over in my sleep” 

Sansa flipped over and stared at him with wide eyes “what happened, how did I end up here?” 

Sandor chuckled “well, when I came back in the room after putting away my stuff you were curled up asleep on the bed. I didn’t have the heart to wake you, I thought you’d get up on your own after a while, but you never did. Eventually I needed to get some sleep myself, so I covered you up and got in bed too. I thought there was enough room for the two of us, but I guess I’m a closet cuddler.” 

Sansa panicked “what time is it? Did my suitcase and key card ever get delivered? Arya’s probably freaking out wondering where I am.” 

“Calm down Little Bird, your stuff was delivered, it’s right over there. It’s still early for here, remember we still need to adjust to the time zone. I texted Arya to let her know that you’d fallen asleep in here so she wouldn’t worry if she couldn’t find you.” Sandor tilted his head and regarded Sansa “I don’t know about you, but I’m starved. How about we get up and get your stuff into your room and we go get some breakfast. How does that sound?” 

“That sounds good, do I have time for a shower first?” Sandor nodded, Sansa crawled out of bed and started to collect her things “How about I put my stuff away, shower and meet you in the breakfast room in about 45 minutes” 

Sandor grinned “that would work. I could use a shower too. I was going to take one last night, but I didn’t want you to wake up and freak out about a naked man in your room” 

“well _your_ room, but you’re right. I probably would have.” 

Sandor swung his legs off the bed and stood up with his back to Sansa and stretched. Hopefully she wouldn’t notice his morning wood. It was a normal occurrence, but waking up pressed up against her, inhaling her scent had made it even worse. He was going to have to insist housekeeping change his sheets today. He would never be able to sleep in here with the sheets smelling like lemons and her! 

Sandor glanced back over his shoulder at Sansa gathering up her stuff, he had been thrilled and dismayed to discover she was in the room right across the hall from him. They’d definitely get to know each other better now, but…he had to be careful, this was location after all. He needed to protect her reputation, but more than that, his own heart. Maybe, they could become friends, good friends; then once they were back in the City after filming was done, who knows, maybe more. Would she be interested in that? He hoped so. He hoped he hadn’t read into something that wasn’t actually there. If he had, working with her, hell working with Arya was going to be a nightmare. 

“see you in an hour Sandor?” 

Sandor snapped back to reality “yep, just don’t drink all the coffee before I get there” Sansa smiled and exited the room. Sandor groaned and looked down at himself. He was going to have to ‘take care’ of himself in the shower before he saw Sansa again. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandor and Sansa spend the day together.

Sansa sat back in the makeup chair and relaxed her features. Arya would have an easier time attaching the prosthetic to her face that way. It was disappointing that someone other than Sandor was doing her makeup, again. Since the day they'd spent together, all those weeks ago, she'd seen very little of him, it was as if he was avoiding her.

*****

_ Sandor was already sitting drinking coffee when Sansa arrived in the breakfast room. She poured a mug of tea at the buffet then joined him at a small two-person table. _

_ "Ahhh, that tastes good, I'll need all the caffeine I can get today" Sansa said with a groan. _

_ Sandor snorted "this is nothing, we're just getting started. If you're tired now, you'll never make it through until the end of the shoot" _

_ "I'll be fine, I just need to adjust to the time zone" Sansa looked at Sandor then giggled "and...get a good night's sleep without someone hogging the bed and snoring in my ear" _

_ Sandor grunted, then grinned an embarrassed smile at her "my bed, I can sleep on any side I want" _

_ Sansa rolled her eyes "I'm going to go get some food from the buffet, you coming?" Sandor nodded and got up and moved with her to the table with the chafing dishes.  _

_ They settled at the table and dug into their meals, eating in companionable silence, each in their own thoughts. Once Sansa had finished her fruit and yogurt and Sandor had demolished several platefuls, they loitered over their drinks for another few minutes. It seemed as though they were only people from the production up and about.  _

_ “where do you think everyone is?” Sansa asked, with a tilt to her head.  _

_ “Well, not everyone is here yet, principle filming doesn’t start for another couple of days, plus I bet most of the people that got here yesterday didn’t go to bed right away like you and I” Sandor smirked “So they’re probably sleeping last night off”  _

_ “oh”  _

_ “Is that a problem?”  _

_ “I was just hoping that I’d get a chance to see the area, there were some people in the elevator last night saying they were going to go out before Gendry puts us all on lock down” Sansa concluded with a shrug.  _

_ Sandor looked at her intently, then made a snap decision “How about we rent a car and have a look around?” he casually suggested.  _

_ Sansa’s eyes snapped up to Sandor’s “really?”  _

_ “sure, I don’t have anything planned for today; and you’re right, after today Gendry is going to keep us all close. This is his first mainstream picture, and he needs to come in on time and under budget, which means he’ll work us like dogs” Sandor concluded with a chuckle.  _

_ Sansa grinned “How soon can we leave? I’ll go get my jacket and purse right now. This will be so fun, I heard there was a waterfall not far from here. Have you been here before? They’ll give us a map at the front desk, right? This is so exciting.”  _

_ Sandor watched Sansa in amusement “calm down Little Bird, I’m sure they’ll give us a map. Go ahead and get your stuff, I’ll talk to the concierge about a car. I’ll come knock on your door when we’re set, okay?”  _

_ “Okay…uhm...I never asked you…little bird?”  _

_ Sandor flushed “uh, yea…you remind me of a little bird, all that peeping, plus you eat like a sparrow.”  _

_ Sansa‘s eyes softened “oh, no one has ever given me a nickname before, I kind of like it” she narrowed her eyes “you’re not mocking me, are you?”  _

_ Sandor’s eyes widened comically “absolutely not”  _

_ Sansa smiled “good, because I wouldn’t want to have to forbid you from calling me that. Now I have to think of one for you”  _

_ “Well, most people call me Hound”  _

_ Sansa wrinkled her nose “that doesn’t sound like a nickname someone gives you because they’re fond of you. I’m going to have to think of something else” Sansa smiled “I’m going to run up and get my stuff, okay?” Sandor nodded “Thank you Sandor, this will be fun” with that, Sansa got up, bussed her cup and plate, exited the room and made her way back to the elevator to collect her things in her room.  _

_ After Sansa left the room, Sandor sat back and grinned, but slowly the smile fell from his face. What was he doing? Was this a good idea? What if today went horribly wrong? Or worse yet, really well. Then he’d still have to spend time with Sansa, and it would be so uncomfortable. Ugh! Well it was too late now. He’d spoken before he thought it out.  _

_ The idea of spending the day with Sansa was too appealing to not suggest it. Now he had to make sure he didn’t do or say something to tip his hand to Sansa. Ever since the evening he’d brought her home on the subway and she’s kissed him on the cheek, he’d thought about her constantly. It didn’t help that he practiced make-up on her plaster bust all the time. He’d only just been able to maintain his professionalism when he was demonstrating her prosthetics on her in front of the other artists. Right then and there, Sandor made a decision; he’d give himself today to enjoy Sansa’s company, but once filming started, he would have to revert to only treating her as a colleague. He wouldn’t risk his professional reputation running after her like a green boy, or hers for that matter; and he wouldn’t risk his heart by revealing his feelings for Sansa while they were on location.  _

_ The day had been perfect, both Sandor and Sansa thought so; they were out for hours, they’d seen everything: the waterfall, covered bridges, historic churches and houses; and lunch at a cozy local pub. Unbeknownst to each other, the feelings they were beginning to have were nurtured that day. The longing to get to know one another, apart from the job, became unbearable for both. Unfortunately, Sandor’s decision to ‘act professional’ only resulted in hurt feelings on Sansa’s part, and Sandor’s decision to delegate Sansa’s make-up to Arya. He couldn’t risk getting in any deeper by interacting with Sansa every day.  _

\----- 

“Sansa, I’m all done, you can open your eyes” Sansa eyes fluttered open and she saw Arya looking at her with a concerned look in her eyes “You okay?” she queried. 

“yea, just tired” 

Arya snorted “liar” 

Sansa stared at her “what do you mean?” 

"Well, first of all you never go out at night, so I know you're not tired. Plus I know it isn't about the part, Gendry has been raving about your performance, and you seemed to have made some friends, so it's not that; ...is it Sandor?"

Sansa blushed. "how did you know?"

“Look, I watch you follow Sandor with your eyes when you’re sitting in the chair, I also watch him ignoring you. What gives? Did you two have a fight or something?” 

Sansa sighed “I don’t know what’s up. I told you about spending the day with him the day after we got here, right?” Arya nodded “We had the best time. I really thought that it could be the start of something, but since then he hasn’t spoken to me at all. It’s like we don’t even know each other. I just don’t get it” she concluded with a frustrated grunt. 

“hmm” Arya started 

“what?” 

“Maybe he’s trying to keep it professional while you’re both on the job. When we were back in the City he couldn’t keep his eyes off you, now he won’t even look at you. I think he likes you, and not just the ‘on the set fling' kind of likes you. He doesn’t know what to do, how to show you how he feels without it looking like he just wants to fuck you here on location. That’s my guess anyway” Arya concluded. 

“So what do I do?” Sansa whined 

Arya chortled “Don’t take no for an answer.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Your room is across the hall from his, right?” 

“Yea” 

“Well, if you really like him, knock on his door tonight, and don’t stop until he lets you in” 

“I could never do that, it seems slutty” 

“do you like him?” 

“yea” 

“then it’s not slutty, it’s persistent. Not letting the guy you like, get away” 

Sansa smiled “I guess when you put it that way” 

*****

**that night**

Unlike every other night when Sansa just went back to her room after dinner and reviewed her script for the next day; tonight was different. When Ygritte and Pod invited her to join them at a local pub that was having an 80s dance party, Sansa said yes. If Arya noticed that she was sad, Sansa was sure other people in the production could too. It was time to change that, it was time to stop spending so much time in her own head. 

She had a blast. They danced, sang, drank, and thoroughly took over the pub. Hopefully they’d still be allowed back in next time. Along with Ygritte, Pod and Sansa: Jamie, Arya and Gendry and several members of the crew were there as well. Sansa danced with everyone; from pink-cheeked Pod, who looked like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole, to her constant co-star Jamie, who (of course) danced better than anyone else in the entire place! This was the most fun she’d had in a long time. As Sansa, Ygritte and Arya screamed the lyrics to ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ clinging to each other in the middle of the dance floor, she realized how much she’d missed during the time she’d been here on location. Sansa knew she would probably pay the price tomorrow with a huge hangover, but right now she thought it would be worth it! 

Hours later Sansa stumbled down the hallway to her room. She was tired, tipsy, sweaty, and brave. She thought about what Arya had said to her this morning about Sandor, maybe she was right. Maybe Sandor was afraid or didn’t know how to show her how he felt. Based on how they had left things after spending the day together, Sansa wasn’t sure how he could be unsure, she’d been pretty forward with him. 

***** 

_ Sandor walked Sansa back to her room, carrying all the souvenirs she’d bought during the day. They arrived in front of her door, and he handed the bags over to her. She looked up at him and smiled.  _

_ “Thanks again for taking me out today, Sandor. I would hate to have come all the way here and never get to see the sites.”  _

_ Sandor returned Sansa’s smile “No problem, it was fun and educational.” He commented with a chuckle “Now I can check that waterfall off my bucket list”  _

_ Sansa giggled, then wrapped her arms around Sandor’s middle, pulled him closer and hugged him firmly. Rotating her head so that her chin against his sternum, she looked up at him and her eyes softened. Moving her arm from around his waist to his neck she pulled his head down and rolled up onto her toes, kissed him gently on his scarred cheek and whispered, “Goodnight Sandor.” Releasing him she turned and unlocked her door and slipped inside. Standing inside her room, leaning against the door, Sansa took several large breaths to try and slow her heart rate. She wasn’t usually that brave, but she was glad she had been with Sandor.  _

*****

Arriving at her room, Sansa turned and looked at Sandor’s door. She wondered if he was inside, there was only one way to find out, and she strode across the hall and banged on the door. After what seemed like an eternity, Sandor cracked the door open. 

“Sansa, is everything all right?” 

"We need to talk"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The talk!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preview of chapter 7
> 
> Breathing heavily, they looked into each other’s eyes. Sandor was the first to break, when he grinned, cocked his eyebrow at Sansa and quipped “who said I wasn’t interested?” and lowered his mouth back onto hers. 

" _We need to talk”_

Sandor looked at her curiously then opened the door wider to allow her to enter. “What do we need to talk about?” 

“us” 

“what do you mean, us? There is no us” 

Sansa stared at him bewildered, then the weight of his words struck her, and her shoulders slumped in disappointment. “oh…I guess I was reading into something that wasn’t actually there” 

“Sansa?” 

Sansa stood up straight, she might as well just be honest with Sandor, she couldn’t humiliate herself anymore than she already had with him. “Look Sandor, I’m not usually forward with a guy, but I think I’ve put myself out there more with you then I ever have. I guess I was too busy thinking about how I felt to notice that you weren’t interested…oof” 

Sansa was pulled off balance as Sandor grabbed her arm and pulled her into his chest. Wrapping his arms around her he lowered his mouth onto hers. It took Sansa a moment to realize what was happening, but once she did, she wrapped her arms around Sandor’s neck, pulled him closer and tilted her head so they fit together better. Several minutes, and the most perfect first kiss later, Sandor and Sansa pulled away from each other. Breathing heavily, they looked into each other’s eyes. Sandor was the first to break, when he grinned, cocked his eyebrow at Sansa and quipped “who said I wasn’t interested?” and lowered his mouth back onto hers. 

One scorching open mouthed kiss later, Sansa pulled back to look at Sandor "if you felt this way, how come you've been ignoring me since we spent the day together seeing the sights?"

Sandor loosened his hold on her and sighed "Uhm, well...I guess my only excuse is that I didn't want just an on location fling. I thought if we started something here, that's what you'd think I wanted."

Sansa tilted her head and regarded Sandor “that’s just what Arya said too” 

“Sandor closed his eyes and groaned “you talked about me with Arya? No wonder she always looks like she wants to gut me, she probably does!” 

Sansa giggled “well honestly, she always has that look; even when she’s with me. But she was concerned about me and my feelings and thought maybe the reason you’d been ignoring me was because you didn’t have on set romances. Not that that’s what I’m looking for” Sansa said in alarm “I thought that being on location, you know, thrown together, would give us a chance to get to know each other. We live in the same city after all, if something started here, it could keep going…right?” 

Sandor regarded her “Arya's right, I don’t have on set flings, I’m too old for that shit. I would like to get to know you; but it could be complicated. People could say things, assume you’re seeing me to get a bigger part, or some other perk. Most people know that Gendry and I are friends, so not everyone is going to think you actually like me, for me. Maybe you like me for what I can do for your career.” 

Sansa looked at Sandor horrified “well the people that think that way are asses and I don’t want to be friends with asses. But I don’t want to put you in an awkward situation…” Sansa was cut off when Sandor lowered his head and kissed her again. She huffed out a semi-annoyed breath but allowed the kiss to continue. Should they talk about this more, she wondered? She hadn’t realized the pitfalls or the politics that could be involved in dating someone on the crew, she’d never done it before. All she knew is that she wanted to get to know Sandor better. 

Too soon, Sandor ended the kiss and pulled back to look at her. Kissing her on the nose, Sandor grumbled “you should probably go back to your room before things get too out of hand. You have an early call tomorrow morning, and I don’t want to have to spend hours using concealer to cover the bags under your eyes. Besides, how much have you had to drink?” he concluded suspiciously. 

Sansa grinned up at him “not enough to NOT know what we’re doing, if that’s what you’re afraid of. But, since I don’t want to make anymore work for you tomorrow then you already have, I’ll go. I’m not happy about it, but I’ll go back to my cold, dark, lonely room.” She pouted up at him “When can I see you again?” 

Sandor threw back his head and laughed at her antics “well, you’ll see me tomorrow in the make-up chair, but I guess that’s not what you’re talking about” 

“you know it’s not” 

“Dinner tomorrow?” 

Sansa smiled “I’d love that. Maybe we could go into town, so we’re not surrounded by the entire crew and we can have some privacy?” 

Sandor’s eyes softened “How about I check at the front desk to find a place” 

“That sounds perfect” Sansa responded; then rolled up on her toes, threaded her arms around Sandor’s neck and pulled his mouth down on hers. Sandor tightened his arms around her waist and enthusiastically responded to Sansa’s kiss. He decided he didn’t care how hard or complicated or messy dating Sansa could turn out to be, he was all in. He couldn’t believe that this beautiful, talented, funny, sexy, goofy woman wanted anything to do with him. But if she could see beyond his scars and temper, who was he to argue? 

A few minutes later, Sansa reluctantly ended the kiss grumbling something about an early call and a mean make-up artist. Sandor laughed but allowed her to pull away from him. “see you tomorrow Little Bird” he whispered. Sansa smiled and left the room to go across the hall to get some sleep before she had to be on set. Sandor watched her go with a contrite smile. Sitting down on his bed he picked up the telephone receiver and called the front desk. Once he was connected to the concierge desk, he inquired about restaurants in the immediate area. Sandor was pleased to discover that there were several places he’d be able to take Sansa in the coming weeks. Sandor couldn’t remember the last time he was excited about being on location. 

For as long as he’d been ‘in the business’ Sandor, as a rule, didn’t like being on location; he hated living out of a suitcase, wearing the same 6 or 7 tee-shirts or sweatshirts every day, surrounded by people who didn’t know him and judged him solely on his appearance. It got old, real fast, in his opinion. But this seemed like it could be the beginning of a new era for him. Not to get too ahead of what was happening, but maybe after this film, he could start working more in the City. That way he’d get to see Sansa much more often. Realizing where he was going with this, Sandor shook his head in amusement, they hadn’t even gone on a proper date yet for fucks sake, and here he was imagining a whole different life for himself. But, he thought ruefully, a man could dream, couldn’t he? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up: the date, part one.


	8. Chapter 8

What a difference 24 hours makes Sansa thought to herself. This time yesterday she’d sat dejectedly in the makeup chair as Arya glued prosthetics on her face. Today though, Sandor was doing the honors. He’d arrived shortly after Arya flung a smock around Sansa’s neck to protect her costume. As Arya was fiddling with makeup and glue, Sandor arrived in the trailer and chased her away, declaring that he’d do Sansa’s makeup today. With a smirk and a knowing eye roll, Arya moved off to work on one of the extras who was seated a couple of chairs over. 

“that wasn’t very nice or discreet” Sansa whispered to Sandor. 

Sandor grinned “it’s not as if she doesn’t already know everything anyway” 

“She doesn’t know about last night; we were just getting to the good stuff when you got here. I guess now she can guess what happened, but I didn’t kiss and tell, if that’s what you think” 

Sandor’s eyes softened “I wasn’t accusing you of kissing and telling, I just thought sisters told each other everything. I’m fine with her knowing” Sandor looked over Sansa’s face and smirked “Now where’s my concealer? It looks like someone had a late-night last night and needs their circles covered” 

Sansa grinned unashamedly “it was worth it” 

Sandor smiled and tipped back the chair so he could get to work. Sansa closed her eyes and let him do his thing. 20 minutes later Sandor cleared his throat, Sansa’s eyes flew open and she looked up at him “all done with the special effects, I guess it’s time for you to move on to regular hair and makeup” 

Sansa wrinkled her nose in annoyance, she’d wanted to spend more time with Sandor! Why was he so good at his job? Arya normally took at least 15 minutes longer to attach everything. “Will I see you later?” she whispered as she looked at him hopefully. 

Sandor furtively looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to them, then said in a low voice “I spoke to the concierge last night, and he gave me a list of several restaurants. As long as filming doesn’t go too late tonight, why don’t we try one of them out?” 

“I’d love that; but if it is too late, we could always just stay in and get room service” 

Sandor’s eyes widened at the suggestion “be careful Little Bird, if you say things like that, I may take you up on it and keep you all to myself” 

Sansa giggled “hmmm, maybe that’s why I said it” 

Sandor puffed out a breath “go on, get out of here, you’re going to be the death of me” 

*****

Hours later, Sansa was finally done for the day. It hadn’t been particularly physically or mentally taxing, she’d definitely had worse ones than today. However, she was so impatient to be done for the day that she just about ran to the wardrobe trailer to get rid of her costume. As Ygritte helped her step out of the gown, Sansa impatiently bounced on the balls of her feet. Ygritte gave her a questioning look, normally Sansa was the picture of patience and politeness, what was going on she wondered. 

“You okay Sansa?” 

“Oh, yes, of course. Sorry Ygritte, I’m just anxious to be done. I have some things to do tonight” Sansa replied blushing slightly. 

Ygritte studied her for a moment “these things, wouldn’t have anything to do with a huge makeup guy with pretty grey eyes, would they?” 

Sansa met Ygritte’s stare “why would you ask that?” 

Ygritte grinned unapologetically “remember when I told you there were no secrets on a film location?” Sansa nodded “well, normally there are. But, in this case, I’ve never seen you so impatient; plus I’ve never seen Sandor in such a good mood. He was whistling today for fucks sake. So, I just put two and two together. Plus, you’re blushing, so that really gave it away” she concluded with a smirk. 

“I really don’t have a poker face, do I? Please don’t spread it around, Sandor and I are going out to dinner tonight, and I just want to get out of these clothes and take a shower before we go. It’s our first official date, so I want to look my best” 

Ygritte smiled “your secret is safe with me. Now go on get out of here, you have a man to impress tonight. But I wouldn’t worry, the way he looks at you, he’s already impressed” 

Sansa squirmed and blushed a little more “well I don’t know about that” 

Ygritte laughed “trust me Red, I’ve known the big man for years, we’ve been on location hundreds of times together; I’ve never seen him smitten like this before. If he’s breaking his self-imposed rules about dating actresses, and dating on location; you must be something special” 

Sansa looked up sharply “He doesn’t date actresses?” 

“not that I’ve ever seen, but then again, YOU’VE never been on a shoot with us before. There’s a first time for everything. Maybe you’ll be his first and last actress” at that, Sansa’s eyes widened in alarm, and Ygritte quickly added “you know in the good way, like he doesn’t need to date anyone after you.” 

Sansa giggled nervously “let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, it is only our first date” She began to gather up her stuff to leave, more nervous than before due to Ygritte’s revelations “Uhm, see you tomorrow?” 

Ygritte winked “You bet Red, I’ll want a full report” 

*****

Sansa rushed through her shower, scrubbing the makeup off her face and body. Sansa was fuming. She could KILL Arya. When Arya had told her to only pack one nice outfit, because that was all she’d need; Sansa had taken her literally and had exactly one outfit suitable for a date. She wondered if she should wear it tonight or save it for some time in the future. 

When she’d arrived back at her room, she’d noticed a piece of paper on the floor. Reading it, she discovered it was from Sandor, he’d obviously shoved it under her door. He was letting her know he was in his room, and to just knock when she was ready. No indication where they were going tonight, and how she should dress. 

Huffing out an exasperated breath, Sansa finished her makeup, then stared at the items in her closet. She decided to go with casual, that way she and Sandor could just go to a cozy pub, if there was one in the area. No need to add the pressure of a four-star restaurant (if there even was one in the area). Once she was satisfied with how she looked, Sansa collected her bag, coat and keycard and stepped into the hallway. Before her nerves got to her too much, she knocked on Sandor’s door; it opened immediately. 

“Hey Little Bird, that was fast” 

“What do you mean” 

“I heard your door open and close only about 30 minutes ago, you got ready quickly” 

Sansa flushed, did Sandor realize how much she was looking forward to this? She looked down in embarrassment, suddenly Sandor lifted her chin with his finger “I’m glad you didn’t take a long time, I have been looking forward to spending time alone with you all day” Sansa grinned up at him, then her smile slipped. 

“well, not alone, we will be in a restaurant full of people” 

“unless we just stay here and eat” Sandor mumbled 

Sansa's eyes flew up to Sandor's “really? I was just kidding when I said that; but actually, I’d love it. I already feel like I’m underdressed for a date. But I’m not underdressed to hang out” 

Sandor perused her outfit “I don’t know what you’re talking about, you look great, I’d be proud to take you anywhere dressed like that” 

Sansa squirmed, embarrassed “it’s just that Arya told me I didn’t need to bring any nice things with me, so I didn’t. Now, I’m regretting listening to her. She’s the one that’s been on location before, I thought she knew what she was talking about.” 

Trying to diffuse the conversation and make Sansa less self conscious, Sandor turned and reached into the nightstand, pulled out the room service menu and handed it to Sansa “what do you think you’d like to eat?’ Sansa studied it and quickly gave Sandor her choice. He called down to the desk and placed their order and was told it would be about 45 minutes. 

Sandor turned to Sansa “would you like something from the minibar while we wait? They have some good local beers in there” 

“no, I’ll wait and have something with dinner. I don’t want to drink on an empty stomach. I may fall asleep in here again and I think I can only get away with that once” she concluded with an embarrassed smile. 

Sandor laughed then turned serious “waking up next to you was the best experience I’ve had on location...EVER” Sansa flushed and looked down. Sandor was forced to lift her chin again with his finger “I mean it little Bird” he leaned in and kissed her. Sansa instinctively wove her arms around Sandor’s neck and pulled him closer, tilting her head and deepening the kiss. Suddenly Sandor stood up straight, pulling Sansa off her feet into the air. She immediately wrapped her legs around his waist. Sandor walked backwards and perched on the end of the bed, Sansa unhooked her legs and straddled him. 

She could feel his erection beneath her, hard against her core. She groaned and began to slowly grind down onto him, looking for friction, anything to relieve her pressure. Sandor’s hands moved from her waist to her ass cheeks, squeezing them hard and pulling her more firmly against himself. “Sansa” he groaned. Sansa pushed at Sandor’s shoulder, and he immediately lay back on the bed pulling Sansa on top of him. 

They continued to kiss, thrust and grind against each other. Sandor's mouth left Sansa’s and he kissed down her neck to her collarbone. Sansa was so turned on that she was almost to the point where she wanted to rip her clothes off, then Sandor’s; anything to get them closer physically. She was just starting to untuck Sandor’s shirt when there was a loud knock at the door. 

Sandor and Sansa looked at each other “the food” they said simultaneously. “fuck” they thought simultaneously. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The date part 2; dinner and a movie.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously:
> 
> Sandor and Sansa looked at each other “the food” they said simultaneously. “fuck” they thought simultaneously.

Dinner was quiet. After jumping apart when they heard the knock at the door, they scrambled to straighten their clothes. Sandor cracked the door open to see one of the hotel’s employees standing outside the door with a cart laden with covered dishes. Rather than proving access, Sandor grumbled that he could take it from here, and shoved a rather large tip in the teenager’s hand. Pulling the cart into the room, Sandor discovered that Sansa had taken refuge in the bathroom. 

“Sansa, it’s safe to come out, he’s gone” 

Sansa opened the door, red faced. “I didn’t want anyone but you to see how flustered I am and how disheveled my clothes were” she whispered. 

Sandor’s eyes softened, then he looked down at himself “I hope he didn’t notice my raging hard on, hopefully I tipped him enough that we aren’t the talk of the kitchen” he replied ruefully, shaking his head “ready to eat?” 

They moved to the small ‘dining area’ in the room and uncovered the dishes. “Want that beer now Sansa?” Sandor queried; Sansa nodded, and he dug into the mini fridge pulling out two bottles. They sat opposite each other, not making eye contact, at a loss for words. The abrupt end to the earlier activities had made them shy with each other about where they stood, neither brave enough to break the silence. 

Furtively glancing at Sandor from beneath her lashes, Sansa mentally cursed the crappy timing of the waiter. They’d gone from zero to sixty back to zero, and she wasn’t sure what to do. She was so attracted to Sandor that she could barely think straight. When she scurried into the bathroom as he answered the door, she was practically shaking with desire, her eyes wild with want. It took her several minutes of taking deep breaths to calm her heartrate in order to be able to reenter the room. Sansa wondered if Sandor realized how he affected her. She wasn’t sure how she was going to be able to maintain a professional demeanor with him tomorrow in the makeup trailer. 

Sandor wracked his brain to figure out something to say to Sansa to get the conversation started again. She had obviously been self-conscious earlier about her outfit, but that had been alleviated by their make-out session, at least he thought so. Now he had to figure out small talk, which he had never been good at, but for Sansa, he’d try. 

“how’s your food Sansa?” Sandor asked, quite proud of himself. 

“fine” 

This wasn’t going to be easy, he thought reluctantly, forging on “how was filming today?” 

“okay” 

Sandor wrinkled his brow, what was going on? He’d never had this much trouble making conversation with Sansa. Did she not feel well? She seemed okay earlier. Was she regretting agreeing to have dinner with him? Had he gone too fast earlier and she was completely disgusted with him? Was she trying to figure out a way to leave? Before he spiraled into a full-blown panic, Sandor decided he just needed to man-up and find out what was wrong. 

“Sansa, is everything okay? You’re very quiet, too quiet for you” 

Sansa looked up from her food in alarm, then back down and flushed bright red “Uhm, I’m just a little embarrassed about my actions earlier, I was so forward with you. I don’t even know what you must think” 

Sandor scrunched up his face, what was she talking about? She was forward? He’d grabbed her ass for fucks sake, and he was grinding on her just as hard as she was. She had nothing to be embarrassed about! 

“Sansa, there were two of us on that bed earlier, no one was anymore forward then the other one was. I was enjoying myself, in fact I could’ve cheerfully strangled the waiter for interrupting us. Nothing you did was forward, and nothing you did was unwanted. I still can’t figure out why you’d want to spend any time with me, but until you decide you don’t, I’m going to relish all the attention you want to give me. Is that clear?” he concluded mock-severely. 

Sansa, looking relieved, broke into a wide toothy grin “yes sir” 

“not a sir, Little Bird. Now finish up your dinner and we’ll see if there’s a good movie on the in-room entertainment system that we can watch. I know we can’t make it a late night, since both of us have early calls tomorrow. But dinner and a movie seems like a good first date, don’t you think?” Sansa nodded. 

*****

Hours later, Sansa’s choice of a ridiculous rom-com was long forgotten. They’d started out sitting side by side on the couch, but as the kissing ‘recommenced’ Sansa eventually pulled Sandor towards her, then eventually on top of her as she lay back on the couch. Wrapping her legs behind Sandor's thighs, Sansa trapped herself against his rapidly hardening cock. It was torture, but one Sandor would gladly endure to have Sansa this close. She’d wound her arms around his neck, digging her finger into his hair and carding through it; kissing various places on his face, both the scarred and unscarred sides, until finally Sandor couldn’t take it any longer. Seizing control of the situation, he crashed his lips into hers, invading her mouth with his tongue, and tilting his head so they fit together better. They remained that way, for what seemed like an eternity, until finally Sandor broke the kiss and pulled his head back to look at Sansa. 

“I hope I’m not being too forward,” he quipped. 

Sansa dreamily opened her eyes, then they snapped to attention “oh shut up and kiss me” 

Sandor happily complied by kissing down Sansa’s long throat, he longed to mark her perfect skin as his, but he knew he’d just have to cover it up with makeup tomorrow, so he resisted. He reached the neckline of her shirt and pulled it out of the way so he could reach and kiss her collarbone. Placing warm open-mouthed kisses there, Sansa squirmed, groaned and moaned his name. He could get used to this. Nothing would ever feel as good as Sansa beneath him, holding him tightly, responding to his kisses. He didn’t even care that his balls would be blue by the end of the evening. He’d take care of that later. 

Suddenly Sansa began to wiggle, trying to sit up. Sandor pulled away and looked at her in confusion. “are you okay?” he asked. 

Sansa moved her hands from around his neck to the bottom of her sweater, and began to pull it up, obviously intending on taking it off completely. “Sansa wait” Sansa looked up at him surprised. Sandor mentally cursed himself; what was he doing? The most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life was not only willingly kissing him, but she was going to take her top off, and he stopped her. What was he thinking? 

“Sansa, as much as I was us to go further, and I think you can tell how much I want it” he glanced down at his bulging crotch and grimaced “I don’t think we should go too fast. I want to date you, get to know you. I want to do other stuff too, but when we’re ready. I want to get this right, and as much as I want to fuck you right here right now, I’m not going to because I want it to really mean something when we do. Is that okay?” 

Sansa’s eyes softened as she looked at him, she’d never felt so cherished, every other ‘relationship’ she’d had to this point paled in comparison. And this was only their first date! None of the men or boys she’d been with in the past had EVER put feelings before getting their rocks off, Sandor was one in a million and she was never letting go, if she could help it. Refocusing back on Sandor, realizing she’d been quiet too long, she smiled. 

“that is definitely okay. I should probably get going anyway, that wake-up call isn’t too far away.” She said with a pout 

“Give me a minute, I’ll walk you” 

Sansa burst out laughing “Sandor, I’m across the hall, I think I can get there on my own” then squirmed out from beneath him and stood up next to the couch. 

Sandor huffed at the loss of contact “well, I guess it’s a good thing you can get home on your own” he glanced down at his crotch again “I have something I need to take care of” 

Sansa leaned down and kissed him one more time and gathered up her stuff to leave; but right before she did, she turned around to Sandor and whispered “I find I have something I need to take care of too” and she slipped out of the room. 

Sandor blinked in confusion, then comprehension washed over him “fuck” he whispered in amazement. 


	10. Chapter 10

The next ten days were frantic. They were getting to the end of the shoot and Gendry was trying to pack more and more into each day. Sansa felt that, other than in the makeup chair, she didn’t see Sandor at all. It seemed like one or the other of them were working late nights or early mornings. There was no time for meals together, or even private chats; and kisses were completely out of the question! 

Sansa sat brooding over a mug of tea in the breakfast room. She was due in makeup in an hour, and as much as she wanted to see Sandor, she couldn’t even get there early; he’d have no time for her. According to Arya, who had sprinted through the room about 30 minutes ago to get some coffee and an energy bar, she and Sandor and the rest of their crew were up to their eyeballs in extras. The big battle scene was being filmed and all the extras needed to be fitted with all types of gruesome scars and wounds and burns. 

Ygritte dropped into the seat across from Sansa and looked her over in a knowing, sympathetic way. 

“missing Sandor I see” Ygritte quipped 

“what makes you say that?” 

“That scowl on your face for one. Plus, I saw Sandor last night when we were finishing up, he’s back to his usual pissy self. I figure the two of you haven’t had any time together in a while” 

Sansa sighed “yea, it’s been a long week. I’ve only seen Sandor at makeup, and there’s usually a room full; and people waiting for me to finish so he can do theirs. I know it sounds selfish, but why did Gendry have to pack the schedule now? All those weeks before Sandor and I got together, I would’ve happily filmed all day and night. I had nothing else to do! Now though…” Sansa shrugged. 

Ygritte nodded understandingly “I know Gendry’s trying to get a bunch of things done before this weekend. There are investors going to be here, and he’d prefer to have almost everything done, so they don’t get to have any input. If it makes you feel any better, I bet Gendry is as frustrated as you are. He’s not getting any ‘alone time’ with your sister either” 

“they at least got to have more than one date” Sansa gripped. 

Ygritte threw back her head and laughed “you’ve got it bad girl, try and hold out for another couple of days, k? Then you should get some quality time with your man” 

Sansa ‘fake’ grumbled then looked at Ygritte questionably “so how do you know that there are investors coming this weekend?” 

“Pod” Ygritte responded “his Uncle Tyrion is one of the investors in Gendry’s company, along with several members of Tyrion’s family. You didn’t hear it from me, but Tyrion and Jamie are brothers. Jamie didn’t get the job that way, he did it on his own. He’s really a good actor, and not bad to look at either. But he’ll have a bunch of relatives here this weekend, so I guess you won’t have any scenes. Hey, I guess that means more time to spend with Sandor!” Ygritte looked down at her phone “I gotta go. Time to pour someone into a gown” she winked and sprinted out of the room. 

Sansa sat back and pondered what Ygritte had told her. Hopefully she was right, and she and Sandor would get to spend some time together, finally. Sansa looked at the clock on the wall, noting the time, and realized she’d dawdled long enough for the extras to clear out and be on set. It was time for hair and makeup, and maybe, hopefully, a little time with Sandor. Sansa gathered up her stuff and made her way to the makeup trailer. 

*****

**Friday Night**

Finally, thought Sansa, the week was done. She stood outside the costume trailer waiting for her turn to go in and divest herself of her costume. She didn’t mind waiting, she knew Sandor was still working in the makeup trailer, so there was no reason to rush. Maybe by the time she was done, he would be too. 

He’d managed to whisper to her while she was sitting in the chair this morning that he’d be done around 7, and did she want to have dinner with him? She had smiled up at him and whispered back that she would, as long as they got the food from room service. Sandor had smiled his trademark (at least in Sansa’s opinion) sexy grin and told her that could be arranged. Sansa’s core clenched both when he said it this morning, and now as she remembered the conversation. Looking at her phone she saw that she had about an hour until Sandor was done, time to get back to her room and wash this day off of herself. 

The door to the trailer swung open and Sansa looked up to see Ygritte looking at her expectantly. She jerked her head to indicate to Sansa that it was her turn to change. Sansa was surprised to discover that in addition to Ygritte and Pod, there were other people, strangers, in the trailer. 

“This is Sansa, she’s Jamie’s love interest in the film” Ygritte announced to the group. “Sansa, this is Tyrion Lannister, his father Tywin and nephew Joffrey Baratheon. They are investors in Gendry’s film company.” 

“It’s very nice to meet all of you, I’m sorry I’m such a mess. Jamie and I had to battle some baby dragons today and they almost got the better of us” Sansa concluded with a self-deprecating snort as she looked the group over. Tywin Lannister, an older, less pleasant looking version of Jamie looked down his patrician nose at Sansa but didn’t comment. Tyrion and Joffrey, on the other hand, studied Sansa with interest. Tyrion with a kind, almost uncle-ly affection; but Joffrey, with something else entirely. Sansa had heard the expression ‘undressing someone with their eyes’ but she never knew what it meant; until that moment. The look on Joffrey’s face as he looked Sansa up and down, was downright indecent. She had the urge to cross her arms over her chest, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. 

“Alright you lot, get out of here so Sansa can change” Ygritte mercifully interjected. 

Pod took the opportunity to escort the three out of the trailer, commenting that they should go find Jamie and see if he wanted to go get a drink. Sansa and Ygritte watched them leave; when they were alone Sansa turned to Ygritte and grasped her arm “thanks for getting them out of here, I can’t believe that our sweet Pod is related to that creepy Joffrey” 

“he’s not, Pod is related to Tyrion’s wife Shae; Joffrey’s mother is a Lannister, Tyrion and Jamie’s sister Cersei.” 

“well, he looks odious” 

“believe me he is. I’ve seen him on enough sets to know that you don’t want to be alone with him” 

“I’ve known him for 5 minutes, and even I can tell” Sansa countered. “c’mon, let’s get me out of this dress so I start enjoying my weekend” 

Ygritte looked at her slyly “any big plans? you know, with a big man?” 

Sansa burst out laughing “you are hilarious, I did what you said. I was patient, and now, hopefully, I’m going to be rewarded” she concluded wiggling her eyebrows up and down. 

Ygritte grinned “we gingers have to stick together” 

Later, Sansa exited the trailer, looking down at her phone, texting Arya to find out if she and Sandor were almost done for the day. As she took a shortcut between two trailers, she didn’t notice until the last minute, someone leaning up against one of the trailers. Looking up, she exclaimed “Ooofff, oh Joffrey, sorry, I didn’t see you there. What are you doing out here in the dark?” 

Joffrey grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him “I was waiting for you” he said ominously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bum, bum, bummmmm. You knew it couldn't be all smooth sailing.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning; there is an attempted sexual assault in this chapter.

_ “I was waiting for you”  _

“Oh?” Sansa replied as she pulled her arm out of Joffrey’s grasp. 

He tightened his grip slightly, then realizing his error, he changed tactics and let go. Narrowing his eyes slightly at Sansa, trying to gauge her reaction to him; Joffrey relaxed his features, and smiled what he thought was a winning smile. “I saw some of the filming from this week, you did a great job. I’d love to talk to you about future projects. You know my family invested in this company, maybe I can put a good word for you in with Gendry for his next project.” 

As he had warmed up to the conversation, Joffrey moved closed to Sansa, backing her up until she was pressed against the side of the trailer. Trying, and failing, to loom over her; they were the same height after all. Sansa, although suspicious, was intrigued by Joffrey’s offer. Did he have the connections to get her another part? She didn’t feel the need to have him intercede on her behalf with Gendry; she had her own ‘in’ with him; but did he know other directors or producers? That was the question. 

“I’d love to talk about it sometime, but I have an appointment in a few minutes” she replied looking at the time on her phone and backing away from him. 

Joffrey, not happy that Sansa wasn’t immediately taken in by his Hollywood mogul routine, and fall at his feet, or better yet, on his cock; sniped “well, I’m only here for the weekend, if you were really interested, it seems to me that you’d show it more. I can do a lot for your career, I know people” 

Sansa’s eyes snapped up to his, and she narrowed them, understanding immediately what he was  _ not _ saying; she'd heard about things like this happening, she'd had friends and classmates who'd told her horror stories about their experiences with directors, producers and co-stars. But she never thought someone would be so blatant “well, I’m interested in being a working actress, but I’m  _ not _ interested in whatever price you think I’d need to pay to be that. If  **_not_ ** sleeping with you means I’ll never work in the business again, that’s a price I’m willing to pay.” Sansa turned to walk away, only to be pulled up short when Joffrey grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back towards him. 

“You’ve got quite a mouth on you, don’t you? Maybe instead of fucking you I should get you to suck my cock!” Sansa struggled to get free, trying to slap Joffrey as he held fast to the hair at the base of her neck. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with, my family could ruin your career, just for fun. I tried to be nice, but you seem to think you’re something other than a two-bit cunt actress. Now we can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way; it’s your choice. I suggest you get down on your knees and open your mouth, and I won’t black ball you throughout the entire industry.” He concluded with a sneer. 

Twisting frantically, Sansa was finally able to squirm around, rear back and knee him in the balls. "Ow, you bitch” Joffrey screamed and doubled over in pain. Breaking free she ran as fast as she could, putting as much distance as possible between her and Joffrey. Glancing back from time to time to see if he was following her, Sansa screamed when she was grabbed by the arm, only to look up and discover it was Sandor. 

“Sandor” she sobbed, throwing herself into his arms. 

“Sansa, are you alright? What happened?” Sandor said anxiously, as he wrapped his arms around her. 

Sansa huffed out a breath, how did she explain this? What did it mean for the production? Would the Lannister’s pull out their money and ruin Gendry and the film? She was at a loss as to how to handle the situation. She looked up into Sandor’s worried face. She’d tell him what happened, but she needed to talk to Gendry too. She sighed “can we go back to my room? I’ll tell you everything, but I need to talk to Gendry about something” 

Sandor tilted his head, confused “okay, sure. He’s probably with your sister anyway. Let’s go find them” 

*****

Sansa looked at her dirty nails, as she and Sandor waited for Gendry and Arya. She never did get that shower she wanted to take before her date with Sandor. Oh well, she thought; telling Sandor, Arya and Gendry about her almost sexual assault wasn’t really a date anyway. When she and Sandor arrived at her room, Sansa had texted Arya and asked her to bring Gendry to see her, stating that it was important. Then she immediately went into the bathroom and heaved the contents of her stomach into the toilet. Hearing what was going on in there, Sandor had tapped on the door and slipped inside. He held her hair back and rubbed her back, all the while murmuring nonsensical endearments to her, making her feel a little less awful about the entire situation. 

“Do you want to tell me what happened before your sister gets here?” Sandor asked, snapping Sansa back to the present. 

Sansa looked up at him and smiled weakly “I’d really only want to say it once, if that’s okay with you” 

Sandor scooped her up, carried her into the main room, sat on the couch with her on his lap “That’s fine Little Bird” Sansa wrapped her arms around him and snuggled into the crook of his neck and signed contently. They stayed that way, not talking until they heard a knock at the door “That’ll be them” Sandor commented, nudging Sansa off his lap and getting up to answer the door. Pulling it open and stepping aside, he allowed Gendry and Arya to enter. 

Arya walked right in and sat next to Sansa on the couch, while Gendry hovered closer to the door “what’s up Sans? Why the hush, hush meeting?” Arya quipped. 

Sansa glanced at her sister, then focused her attention on Gendry “I really need to ask Gendry something, then tell him something” 

Gendry looked at Sansa with alarm “Is everything okay, did you get injured today during filming or something?” 

“Nothing like that, but please come sit down, this is going to take a while. You too Sandor” she said glancing up at Sandor. 

“How much has Joffrey Baratheon invested in your company?” 

Gendry blew out a deep breath “that idiot? nothing. It’s his Grandfather and Uncle who are the investors. He just tags along with them, trying to look important. Why? What did he say to you?” 

Sansa revealed the entire interaction with Joffrey. She could tell that all three were upset, angry, and in the case of Sandor, about to bolt the room to find Joffrey and beat him to a pulp. After she finished her story, she looked at Gendry “I’m fine, I don’t even have any bruises. He’s the one that got injured." She grabbed Arya's hand "Oh, by the way Arya; thank you for teaching me those self-defense moves." Looking back at Gendry "I don’t want to be the reason that your film loses funding or gets bad publicity. But I also don’t want him to get off scot free. If he thought he could pull that shit with me, who knows what he’d try with someone else.” 

“You’re absolutely right, he needs to pay. We should call the police right now. Just so you know, if Tywin and Tyrion want to cover this up, I don’t want to be in business with them.” 

Sansa let out the breath she was holding, of course Gendry agreed, Arya wouldn’t have gotten involved with him if he wasn’t a good guy, but she worried about his career. She placed her hand on his arm “Gendry, I appreciate your support, you know I do; but we have to be smart about this. All our careers depend on it." She glanced over at Sandor. "Sandor, don’t growl." Turning back to Gendry "Maybe you should talk to them, let them know what’s going on, so they’re not blindsided by this? I’m sure it’s not going to go well, but they’ve invested a lot of money in your company, it seems like the right thing to do, don’t you think?” 

Gendry sighed “you’re probably right, Jesus fucking christ, why did they even bring him with them? He’s not even a part of their firm. C’mon Arya let’s get out of here, I need a drink before I can face them” He turned to Sansa “will you be okay?” Sansa nodded. “I’ll let you know what happens” With that Gendry and Arya stood up and walked to the door. 

Arya looked at Sansa, then Sandor “You need anything Sans?” 

“Nah, I think Sandor and I are just going to order room service and make it an early night. Text me after you talk to Tywin and Tyrion so I know it's okay to call the police, K?” Arya nodded and left with Gendry. 

Sandor looked at her “So we’re staying in? Here, or do you want to go to my room?” 

Sansa looked up at him and offered a small smile “I thought we’d stay here tonight. All night” Sandor’s eyes widened “How about you go get your stuff out of your room and come back?” 

“stuff?” 

“I dunno, your jammies? Deodorant? A toothbrush? What do you take to a sleepover? Why are you making this weird?” 

Sandor leaned down and kissed Sansa briefly on the lips “I just wanted to make sure I heard you right. I’ll be back in a flash” 

“Oh, and Sandor?” 

“Hmmm?” 

“after I speak to the police, and you know, press charges; you and I are going to spend the rest of the weekend right here, getting to know each other better” Sandor raised his eyebrows, Sansa snorted “No, not like that, well...not yet anyway" she concluded. 

Sandor’s eyes widened comically “what are you saying Little Bird?” 

She smiled “Oh, only that I’ve been thinking about you and I being a couple for awhile” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how these situations get handled in the film industry, but unfortunately I'm sure women (and men) have to be concerned with their careers in the aftermath of an assult. Giving the Lannister's a heads up isn't ideal, but I can definately see Sansa being concerned about how all this would affect the careers of those close to her.
> 
> Up next: Sansa and Sandor get their happily ever after.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously
> 
> “after I speak to the police, and you know, press charges; you and I are going to spend the rest of the weekend right here, getting to know each other better” Sandor raised his eyebrows, Sansa snorted “No, not like that, well...not yet anyway" she concluded. 
> 
> Sandor’s eyes widened comically “what are you saying Little Bird?” 
> 
> She smiled “Oh, only that I’ve been thinking about you and I being a couple for awhile”

**3 Years Later**

And the Oscar for outstanding achievement in special makeup effects is awarded to… 

Sansa glanced over at Sandor and squeezed his hand, she was confident that he, Arya and their crew were going to win for their work on Gendry’s film. Their work had far surpassed what all the other nominees had done. It had been a long hard road to get them all to this point. She glanced over to Gendry and Arya, also holding hands waiting for the envelope to be opened. 

*****

_The weekend following Sansa’s near assault was crammed full of meetings, reports, interviews, and shouting matches. At the end of each day Sansa and Sandor would fall into bed wrapped in each other’s arms and try to forget everything that had been said and done to them during the previous 12 hours._

_The night it happened, after Gendry had spoken to the Lannister’s, Sansa contacted the local police to file a complaint. Joffrey had been picked up, arrested, booked and taken to a holding cell. Tywin, Tyrion and even Jamie were content to let him rot there, that was until his mother Cersei showed up in town and made a stink. Lawyers had shown up at Sansa’s door early the next morning to attempt to browbeat, then intimidate her into dropping the charges. When that didn’t work, money was offered. Fed up, Sandor showed the self-righteous bastards the door. Hours later the queen bee herself showed up; using all her cunning, Cersei tried to prey on Sansa’s loyalty to Gendry, her budding career and Arya’s career to try and get her to drop or at least reduce the claim._

_Sansa waivered, but held firm; especially after hearing from Jamie, who was mortified at the behavior of his twin, that this was not the first time that Joffrey had caused problems on a film location. In the end, Cersei’s high-priced lawyers were able to get the charges reduced based on the fact that no one, other than Joffrey himself, had been injured. As was normally the case, when the defendant is wealthy, Joffrey was sentenced to house arrest and a monitor was attached to his ankle. He was also banned for life from any film location where Sansa was present AND all Lannister film sets. Sansa also had a lifetime restraining order against Joffrey, which meant he hadn’t even been permitted to come to the film’s premiere, even though his family was a major investor in the project. It wasn’t perfect, and there were a lot of hard feelings; but it was done, and Sansa never had to see Joffrey ever again._

_Sandor had been Sansa’s rock through the entire ordeal. Standing by her side as she told her story time after time, chasing Cersei out of her hotel room, threatening pushy lawyers; and most importantly, holding her as she cried, telling her that everything would be okay and that she was doing the right thing._

_Their relationship flourished, and by the end of their time on location, they’d put a sizable dent in the extra-large box of extra-large condoms that Sansa had purchased the night before she left for filming. Sandor had known the moment he’d seen Sansa at her audition, that he could easily fall in love with her; who knew she felt the same way? It was a mystery to Sandor what she saw in him, but he wasn’t going to take this precious gift for granted. He was so glad that he’d broken his self-imposed rule about on-location romances, now all Sandor had to do was make it permanent._

_\-----_

_Lots of things changed when they got back to New York City. Sandor and Arya decided, since they had worked so well together, that they’d partner up and form their own special make up effects company. Each had dozens of artists that they had worked with in the past and respected. Why not band together? That way they wouldn’t have to compete against each other for jobs, they could work together. Once word was out in the film industry about ‘Wolf and Hound Special Effects' they had enough business for everyone, and Sandor could pick and choose his jobs; and he chose those that kept him close to Sansa._

_Arya also announced that she was moving into the brownstone with Gendry. It wasn’t a surprise to Sansa, but she wondered how she’d be able to cover the rent on her own; until Sandor shyly asked if he could move in with her. With a huge grin, Sansa agreed. They worked hard on their relationship, making sure that all the feelings they developed on location were real and still there; and they were. They would spend another year in the apartment downtown, then move closer to Gendry and Arya, after finding a large condominium for sale in a converted brownstone building._

_Gendry spent fourteen months working with the film editors and special computer effects crew to create the film that he had imagined in his head. It took months longer and was much harder than he could have ever predicted. But in the end, it was worth it. He’d created something he could only dream about all those years ago in film school. He didn’t feel that it was too arrogant to think that this could be a blockbuster, and if he wanted it to, the start of his career as a mainstream director. But in the end, Gendry decided that wasn’t the way he wanted his career to go. He’d been much happier as an independent film director. No studio to answer to, finding quirky novels and stories that would make interesting films, working with a cadre of actors he respected; THAT, and Arya of course, was what he really wanted from life. Fortunately, even after all the uproar with Joffrey, Tywin and Tyrion agreed to continue to invest in Gendry’s company, and he was able to go back to making the films he loved._

_Sansa’s career changed the most. She went from being a waitress who sometimes acted, to an in-demand actress who had her pick of roles. In the aftermath of the Joffrey thing, she wanted to stick close to home, and Sandor. But even with that restriction, she had plenty of work, especially when Gendry cast her in the lead of his next project filming right in the City. The best part was that she got to come home to Sandor every night!_

*****

…accepting the Oscar for the group are lead special makeup effect artists Sandor Clegane and Arya Stark. 

Sansa snapped back to the present when Sandor and Arya’s names were announced. She leapt up and threw her arms around Sandor’s shoulders and kissed him squarely on the mouth, leaving bright red lipstick on his lips. She grinned and tried to wipe it off with her fingers, only to have Sandor grab her hand and kiss her palm. Turning, and bending, Sansa squeezed Arya tightly, she was so proud of both of them. 

In the rows behind them, chaos erupted, led by Ygritte; who stood, whooped then stuck her two fingers in her mouth and let out a loud wolf whistle. Sansa turned and grinned at the ‘crew’ behind her. All the people who had clothed her, put on her makeup, done her hair, ran lines with her, even sang karaoke with her; were there to share this moment with Sandor and Arya. 

Sandor and Arya shuffled out of the row to make their way to the stage, but before he left, Sandor turned back around one more time to face Sansa. In a ritual he performed each morning before he left for work, Sandor bent and kissed Sansa’s pregnant belly. It had started right after they’d confirmed with the doctor what the two pink lines on the stick had already told them, and continued until tonight, 7 months later. The action made the group behind them cheer even louder; even pink-cheeked Pod bellowed in approval. They arrived on stage and accepted the statues, then held them up in triumph and pointed to their coworkers. Arya gestured for Sandor to speak, he pulled a piece of paper out of his suit jacket; then, adorably in Sansa’s opinion, put on a pair of reading glasses. 

“Alright you lot, settle down.” He quipped. “First of all, we’d all like to thank Gendry for hiring us” Sandor smirked “this was a total group and even more importantly collaborative effort. Gendry had a vision, but we all got to voice our opinions, and he’d listen. So while this is going to stay with me, a part of it is really Gendry’s too” Sandor shoved the paper back in his pocket “and on a personal note; this is great, but I didn’t need this award to make this the most important job I’ve ever had. If I hadn’t worked on this film, I might not have met my wife Sansa. So, while I am grateful for this, I’m more grateful for that. Had I known what this movie had in store for me, I might have done it for free.” Sandor looked up and smiled “but it’s too late now Gendry, I cashed all the checks, besides we’re having a baby in three weeks, we need the money” 

Sansa stood with the rest of the audience as they erupted in cheers and whistles as Sandor and Arya made their way back to their seats. He walked towards her, and as it had been the first time she saw him, everything faded away: his hair, scars, everyone around her; all she saw was his beautiful grey eyes, and now they definitely weren’t sad.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know, those are Emmys not Oscars; but look at those faces.
> 
> Thanks for reading.


End file.
